John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that NELSON MARQUEZ, 31, of West Hartford, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 57 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing heroin.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2014, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force received information that David Alvarado, also known as “Flaco," was distributing heroin to street-level dealers and drug customers in the vicinity of his residence on Wethersfield Avenue in Hartford. Between August 2014 and May 2015, investigators made eight controlled purchases of heroin from Alvarado. A wiretap investigation revealed that Alvarado supplied MARQUEZ both with raw heroin and heroin packaged for distribution, which MARQUEZ distributed to his own customers.
On May 26, 2015, investigators conducted a court-authorized search of Alvarado’s residence and seized raw heroin, bagged heroin, heroin stamps, digital scales, thousands of wax folds, and other items used to process and package heroin. Investigators also seized a 9mm Beretta pistol with a loaded magazine, and numerous rounds of ammunition.
MARQUEZ’s criminal history includes a federal conviction for conspiring to distribute crack cocaine. On May 7, 2010, MARQUEZ was sentenced in New Haven federal court to 42 months of imprisonment and 5 years of supervised release for that offense. He was released from federal prison in June 2012 and was on federal supervised release while he engaged in the heroin trafficking activity described above.
MARQUEZ has been detained since his arrest on Nov. 1, 2016. On May 15, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute heroin.
Alvarado has pleaded guilty to a related charge and awaits sentencing.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Windsor Locks and Willimantic Police Departments.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
